Dolphins consulting with Eric Mangini

Remember last year when deposed Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini called team owner Stephen Ross to discuss I-don't-know-what?

Well, the Dolphins shoved that phone call under the proverbial rug as simply a coach reaching out to an owner because the two had an ongoing relationship rooted in Mangini's days with the New York Jets and Ross's residency in New York.

Well, the two are talking again.

Multiple sources are telling me Ross talks to Mangini on a fairly regular basis to get his opinion of the Dolphins. Apparently Mangini tells Ross what he thinks of various areas, including coaching. This is interesting considering Mangini is not ever around the team to find out what game plans are, what injury concerns the team is nursing and other factors critical to decisions made on and off the field.

Despite this relationship and the fact Ross obviously respects Mangini's opinion, I am told the former Jets and Browns coach is absolutely, positively NOT a candidate for the Dolphins coaching job either on an interim basis should Tony Sparano be relieved before the end of the season, or as a long-term option following the season should the Dolphins fail to overcome their 0-5 start.